Spurs - Points Comparison with Last Season

Tottenham - Plus 14 Points

(Up-dated 7th February, 2012)

Spurs opened the 2011-12 season with two heavy defeats but have managed to recover the lost ground to put themselves in a stronger position compared with the same stage of the season last year.

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At present Tottenham are sitting in third position in the League with 50 points, five behind Manchester United and seven adrift of the leaders, Manchester City.  Spurs have a seven point advantage over Chelsea and are eight points ahead of Newcastle United.  Arsenal are ten points behind with last night's opponents, Liverpool, a further point down in seventh position.

At the same stage last season after twenty four games Spurs were fifth with 41 points following a 1 - 0 win at Blackburn.  They then won their next two games against Bolton and Sunderland before losing at Blackpool which was the point where their season ground to a halt with only one win in next nine games and six draws.
 
The comparison of fixtures played shows how Spurs have a 14 points advantage over last season, a very credible situation:

Manchester Utd (a)   -

Manchester City (h) - 1

Wolves (a) + 2

Liverpool (h)  -

Wigan (a)  + 2

Arsenal (h)  + 2

Newcastle (a)   -
Blackburn (a)  -
QPR (WHU*) (h) +2
Fulham (a)  -

Aston Villa (h) - 

WBA (a) +2

Bolton (h) -

Stoke City (a) -3

Sunderland (h) +2

Chelsea (h) -

Norwich (Blackpool*) (a) + 3

Swansea (Birmingham*) -

WBA (h) +2
Everton (h) +2
Wolves (h) -2
Manchester City (a) -
Wigan (h) + 3
Liverpool (a) -2 

[* QPR, Norwich & Swansea in comparison with WHU, Blackpool & Birmingham City as the relegated teams)

This season's results show a positive score of 14 points but Spurs are facing difficult fixtures before the end of February - Newcastle United (h) (Win**), Arsenal (a) (Won**) and Manchester United (h) (Draw**).  

[** Last season's result]

Spurs' form this season is better than any they have produced in the Premier League and has only been bettered by the 'Double' winning team of 1960 - 61.  For this month they need to negotiate the next three difficult matches with as many points as possible and then assess their options with regard a push for the title when they need to regain the sort of form which saw them put together an unbeaten run from the beginning of August to mid-December when referee, Chris Foy, stepped in to assist Stoke City in bringing it to an end.  Spurs have lost four League games this season and only the two Manchester clubs having lost less.  Through January and into February, Spurs have continued to improve in comparison with last year's games even though they have had the disappointment of two wins turning into draws this year, especially the home game against Wolves, and the nature of the loss against Manchester City.

Hopefully, this year, having negotiated the games in February, Spurs will be able to build on that and mount a sustained challenge on City's and United's position at the top of the Premier League, to make a good season even more enjoyable.

Tottenham Ahead in Premier League Race

Spurs opened the 2011-12 season with two heavy defeats but have managed to recover the lost ground to put themselves in a stronger position compared with the same stage of the season last year.

At present Tottenham are sitting in sixth position in the Premier League  with a game in hand on all other teams around them.  The postponement of the opening day fixture against Everton because of the riots near the White Hart Lane immediately put Spurs at a disadvantage and this was compounded when their next games were against the two Manchester clubs who made a flying start to the new season.  So when all the other teams had played three games Spurs found themselves pointless and at the bottom of the League.

Now, after seven games Spurs have made a remarkable recovery by accumulating thirteen points from four wins and a draw.  Four successive wins against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool, Wigan Athletic and Arsenal have brought confidence to the team and raised expectations for the season.  The draw at Newcastle United who maintained their undefeated start to the season, could so easily have been another three points but for an excellent strike for the equalising goal, three minutes from time, as the home side recovered from a goal deficit for the second time.

After 7 games (4 away), Spurs are currently in 6th place with 13 points, having played one match less than everyone else.

Last season, at the same stage (3 away), Spurs were occupying 5th position but with only 11 points and having played the same number of games as those around them.

The comparison of fixtures played shows how Spurs are 5 points up on the same matches last season.

Manchester Utd (a)   -

Manchester City (h) - 1

Wolves (a) + 2

Liverpool (h)  -

Wigan Ath (a)  + 2

Arsenal (h)  + 2

Newcastle Utd (a)   -

This season's results show a positive score of 5 points but to maintain that progress Spurs need to win a number of their future games where they were successful last season - at Blackburn Rovers, at Fulham and at home to Aston Villa.  They also need to be positive against Queens Park Rangers to boost the points differential as Spursrecord against promoted sides last year was poor.  They drew with both Blackpool and West Bromwich at home, while Newcastle were the only promoted to leave White Hart Lane without any points.